Bulgarian Church

The buildings conveyor profiles were made of steel, overlaid with slabs of sheet iron and casting

In terms of architecture, Church of St. Stephen combines Neo Gothic and Baroque influences

The church belongs to the Bulgarian minority

It is known as Church of St. Stephen of the Bulgars. The church belongs to the Bulgarian minority. They used to pray at the churches of Istanbul Orthodox Patriarchy. After the nationalistic movements, Bulgarians built their wooden church in Fener. After the original wooden structure damaged from a fire, the larger present building was constructed at its place.

International competition
The construction plans were prepared by Hovsep Aznavur. An international competition was opened to prepare pre-fabricated parts fort he church. The contest was won by an Italian firm. The prefabricated parts, weighing 500 tons, were produced in Vienna in 1893-1896 and transported to Istanbul by ship.

Pre-fabricated church
After one and a half years' work, the church was erected in 1898. The buildings conveyor profiles were made of steel, overlaid with slabs of sheet iron and casting. All the pieces were attached together with nuts, bolts or rivets. In terms of architecture, Church of St. Stephen combines Neo Gothic and Baroque influences.